Want a “good job?” Report highlights value of certifications

INDIANAPOLIS – A “good job” isn’t out of reach for Hoosiers without a college degree, according to a new survey.

According to a Gallup report, nearly 50% of workers who have a high school education and professional certification – but no college education – are most likely to be in a ‘good job. That’s a rate second only workers with a Ph.D.

At Ivy Tech Community College, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Careers Chris Lowery explains that certifications are available in a range of fields – including many that are considered essential.

“Whether it’s in information technology, advanced manufacturing, health care, business,” says Lowery. “Any of those areas, you can find industry certifications that are associated with jobs that are in high demand and, for much of that reason, high-wage oriented.”

The survey found that high-school graduates with no professional certification are less likely to be in good jobs – and that workers with some college education and a credential typically don’t see an improvement in job quality.

Forty-five percent of U.S. workers in the survey said they had earned some kind of professional certification, including 42% of workers without a college degree.

The report found that professional certification leads to greater employment and increased confidence in career prospects. Lowery notes that having one certification can often lead to another.

“If we think about the person who has a certain number or certain types of industry certifications that will absolutely allow them and propel them into a good job – a better job, a career – that can be enhanced then, going forward,” says Lowery.

The report says workers with certifications also are less likely to work in automation, to spend time on short repetitive tasks, and to lack creativity in their position.